City Under Ice

by T E Olivant

  Yohan turned to the Chief. “Dubh, it’s time to make a stand. Can’t you see it’s us versus them? Isn’t it about time we drained the grit from the snow?”

  “Say that to my face, boy,” growled Scyre.

  “This is all a lie!” I watched Kyrk move forward and stand in front of the Chieftain and I had to clench my fists to stop from trembling. There was something about him, some strength that made everyone else stop and listen, despite Yohan’s growls of anger.

  “Everything they told you about the other clans, it’s all lies.”

  “You were there when those creatures killed our Chief!” Yohan cried at Kyrk with his back to me.

  “They didn’t kill your father, Yohan, as you well know.” Kyrk said quietly and Yohan’s eyes narrowed. “What did it take for you to kill your own Chief, your own father?”

  Yohan screamed then and vaulted the table in front of him. He landed before Kyrk and the two started circling one another. Yohan had a long thin knife and Kyrk had nothing. I could barely watch.

  “How long ago did the men from underground find you? What did they offer you to betray your people? Your father?”

  Yohan lunged and Kyrk dived sideways. He looked so strong, but I knew that he had barely slept in days, that he had walked for miles pulling me behind him in the sled. He wouldn’t last long.

  “Tell them Kyrk, tell them about the guns!” I shouted.

  “The weapon Yohan said Sam used to kill the Chief,” Kyrk said, in between dodging and weaving, “I found a pile of them in one of their tents.”

  “Is this true Yohan?” The Chieftain asked.

  “Of course not,” Yohan spat and leapt forward with his knife. Kyrk was a moment too slow and staggered backwards with a thin red line dripping blood on his arm.

  “Please,” I cried, desperate to stop the fight. “Yohan, listen. You think that my people are helping you, but they’re not. They’ve been playing both sides, and you’re doing exactly what they hoped. They’re letting you destroy each other.”

  Whether or not he heard me Yohan made a mistake. He let Kyrk in too close and before he knew it Yohan was flat on his back on the ice floor. Kyrk stood over him, fists raised.

  “Enough,” called the Chieftain, his expression still perfectly calm. “We will have to discuss this further before there is any more bloodshed.”

  “There isn’t time for discussion.” This time it was Max’s turn to speak. “The Peak has already been destroyed and your city is next. We need to stop all this bickering and get the people out of here now.”

  “We heard a rumour that the Peak had been attacked. People are saying it was the Diggers.” Scyre said with a sideways look at the Chieftain.

  “Slander,” Dubh said angrily. “Be careful with your accusations Scyre.”

  “The Diggers didn’t do it alone. They had help, from underground.” I said, but I was drowned out in more angry voices. Finally, it was Kyrk’s tired words from where he lay panting on the floor holding his wounded arm that quietened them.

  “You have to accept it, all of you! Forget all this which clan is strongest stuff. The men from underground have played you all for fools, used us to fight one another. All you have to do is tell the truth for once in your lives.” He gave a shudder and I could almost feel his pain, his weariness. It was heart breaking to see and I moved to go to him but then I saw a flicker of movement cross the floor.

  The woman called Ealsa, Chief of the Builders stood tall, defiant, in front of Kyrk. I thought she was going to bend down to help him but instead she pulled aside a fur pouch that crossed her chest. Everyone in the room gasped. In her hand was a gun.

  For one horrible second I thought she was going to shoot somebody, but she unstrapped the gun and threw it down onto the snow in front of the Chieftain.

  “One of my people came to me with these things.” The Builder Chief spoke plainly, her eyes looking straight ahead into those of the Chieftain. “He told me that the Diggers had found them under the snow. They were relics of a lost civilisation. Of course, I knew the story made no sense. But when he showed me what they could do…” She paused, then looked down at the small, innocent looking thing in front of her. I felt myself, along with every other person in the room, take a step backwards.

  “I never liked it. It’s not made by our people, it doesn’t belong out on the White. This Seeker traitor, or whatever he might be, is right. We need to get rid of these things before they destroy us all.” She backed away from the gun, staring at it like it was a wolf that could bite at any moment.

  A small cough came from Scyre, Chief of the Hunters who was smiling wryly. “I admit no conspiracies, and there are no murders to lay at the feet of the Hunter clan. But we may have been offered a new type of weapon recently for hunting that was better than all the others, only no one could say for sure where they came from.”

  “They are not for hunting beasts,” I said bitterly.

  “So it seems.” The Chieftain said, his eyes blazing. “Why would your people create such things?”

  “They are afraid,” I said, my voice echoing around the chamber. “They have always been afraid, of everything. I don’t know when they found out that there were people up here on the White, but when they did…” I gestured at my suit. “We can only come out here with help from our technology. You are bigger than us, there are more of you, you are better equipped.” I shook my head. “I guess when they discovered that you existed they immediately saw you as a threat.”

  “One which they wished to annihilate,” Ealsa said staring straight at me. Finally, I had nothing more to say.

  The Chieftain looked lost for words too. Then he turned on the Doctor Chief. “Yohan, is it true what the clan traitor says, did you have these weapons. Did you use one on your father?” Yohan merely stared back at him belligerently.

  “Very well. You will be detained until your guilt or otherwise can be proven. Scyre, can you take him somewhere safe. The rest of you…”

  At that moment a figure ran into the middle of the hall. I thought from her broad chest she must be a Digger.

  “Dubh, there’s been an explosion at the mines! Most people got out in time but some are still trapped. We need to help them…” The girl realised then that she had walked into a serious situation and she stopped talking, staring at Kyrk and Yohan lying on the floor.

  “Is this it?” The Chieftain turned to me and I nodded. It was happening again. The Chieftain raced into action, telling the girl who to send to the mines and how to ensure that as many as possible could be saved. When she was gone he sat back in his chair and put his head in his hands.

  “The mines have been destroyed,” he said dully, “they may never recover.”

  “But our people are still alive,” Kyrk said solemnly, “and it is them that we must save now.”

  A cry from the floor drew my eyes back to Yohan.

  “What did you do?” Ealsa had pinned the Doctor up against the ice of the front row of seats, her huge Builders claws circling his neck. Kyrk took two steps towards them, then stopped, like he wasn’t willing to intervene.

  Yohan yelped like a wolf pup.

  “I didn’t know they would blow up the mines,” he screamed, his feet scrambling for purchase as Ealsa forced his body further up the ice. “Or the Seeker’s Peak.”

  “Tell us everything.”

  Yohan dropped to the ground and we gathered round him. As he cowered under the glares of the clan leaders I almost felt sorry for him. Almost.

  “The creatures from underground made contact with Brand years ago.” Yohan explained. “They wanted an ally out on the White, and clearly they wanted the strongest clan.” Kyrk bared his teeth at this but stayed silent. “But Brand was a fool. He only wanted medicines and knowledge to make the clan better at healing. It was me that realised what the strangers could offer. I was the one that negotiated their shipment of guns. I had no idea that they were selling to your lot.” He gave the Builder a dirty look but she just loo
ked right through him.

  “And what did you think you were going to do with the guns?” Scyre asked.

  Yohan looked shifty again. “I just wanted them for protection.”

  “Sure you did. And I’m guessing your father didn’t approve and that’s why he had to be killed?”

  “I’m not saying any more.”

  “You’ve said enough. Sadly, we don’t have time to try you at the moment, but consider yourself a prisoner until we do.” Scyre pulled him to his feet and marched him from the room.

  “Kyrk,” a cracked voice said, and I was surprised to see it was the Chieftain. He looked like he had aged a hundred years in the last five minutes. “What should we do?”

  If Kyrk was surprised at the Chieftain asking him for advice, he didn’t show it.

  “There’s only one thing to do. We must evacuate the city. Now.”

  Chapter 20: Kyrk

  Evacuate the city. Such a simple thing to say, such a difficult thing to do.

  “There’s so many of them,” Max said. “Where did they hide them all?”

  I shook my head at my friend. I had no idea either. We stood on the long black ridge of rock that protected the city from the East and looked down on the chaos.

  “Is that man trying to take his moonshine still?” The Herder pointed in wonder at a small man bowed down underneath a huge round still.

  “People are afraid. They make bad decisions when they’re afraid.”

  “You don’t.”

  I turned to look at Max in surprise, but there was only respect in his eyes. “I mean it Kyrk. You take that fear and you make it… something else. Without you the city would have been a black rabbit on snow drift.”

  I snorted. “Nice image.”

  “It’s true though. I’m thinking the Hunters will be sorry they ever let you go.”

  I couldn’t think what to say to that so instead I turned back to the hurrying crowd. I had never known city dwellers to move so quickly. Once the Chieftain sent out the word, the whole place was a blur of bodies in a whirl packing up what possessions they could and heading for the hills.

  “Any sign of them yet?” I didn’t have to ask who Max meant. We had both been keeping watch for the children ever since the evacuation started. Unfortunately, it would be all too easy to miss them.

  And in a moment they were there, two figures I knew as well as my own. I gave a yell that came from below my ribs and sprinted down the hill, Max a pace behind me. As we plunged into the crowds I lost them against, disorientated by all the people.

  Then I felt a small warm body throwing itself into my chest. Another joined it and before I knew it I had Jony and Mya in my arms, all of us crying.

  “Kyrk!” Mya cried, “What’s happening?”

  I shook my head. There was no time to explain, even though I wanted nothing more than to spend a few seconds with them.

  “Jony, Mya, you need to go with Max, he’ll take you to the herds. They’re holding a ride for you.”

  “We get to ride on a deer?” Mya squealed with delight, and I felt a little of my tension ease as I looked down at her smiling face.

  “Yes, hold on tight!”

  Her face crumpled into a frown. “You’re not coming?”

  “I can’t.” I shook my head and turned to Jony.

  “Look after her. Now go!” Jony set his jaw firm and nodded once. Then he grabbed his sister’s hand and ran alongside Max, not giving her a second to look back. I turned away, my heart a little lighter now that I knew they were safe. Or as safe as anyone could be with war coming.

  “Did you find them?” Lisanne touched my arm as she came up beside me.

  “Yes, Max has taken them to the herds. How are you holding up?” Lisanne’s face was drawn but her jaw was set in determination.

  “Not too bad. The council have been parading me around like some kind of trophy. I guess they want to show that the threat is real. What better way than to show the people one of the monsters right in front of their eyes.”

  “You’re no monster.”

  Lisanne shrugged, as if it didn’t matter anymore.

  “Listen to me,” I took her arm and led her to a quiet spot in between two tents, “I don’t blame you for any of this. You are not one of them anymore.”

  “But I’m not one of you either. And today, if we can’t stop a war, I’m either going to see my family and friends from the city killed or all the people out here who have been so good to me.”

  “Not if I can stop it.”

  “And I’m going to be right next to you.” She could be so fierce, this pale creature with the beautiful eyes.

  “Here, I want to give you something.” I unstrapped my knife and handed it to her, folding her slim fingers around the hilt.

  “I can’t take this.”

  “I’ll get another from the stores. But I want you to have something for protection.” Lisanne bit her lip and slipped the leather strap over her head. I adjusted it until the knife sat snugly against her chest.

  “It’s really happening, isn’t it?”

  “Yes. Come on, I want to check in with the Chieftain. The evacuation is not our only worry.”

  On the way to the Tyngvall we saw fewer and fewer people leaving the city. I hoped that this meant that most of the city had already left.

  “We’re almost there,” I said to Lisanne who was matching me stride for stride. Once she stooped to help a young child who had fallen in the snow, crying for its mother. Lisanne handed the little girl back to the frightened mother without a word, but the look of horror on the Builder’s face must have hurt her.

  “They will never get used to me,” she said quietly.

  “Give them time. I did.”

  That won me a smile and for a moment I wished that we had more time, a few minutes to sit and talk and just be… whatever we could be. It was an impossible wish.

  Five hundred men and woman stood in front of me, watching me in silence. They were from every clan, strong Builders, wild Diggers, brave Hunters… So different yet for once together as one.

  “A pity it took the threat of war to unite our people.” I started at the Chieftain’s words that seemed as if he had read my mind. “Now listen up, lad, this is where I earn my keep.”

  Dubh gave me a quick wink that I half wondered if I imagined, then raised his arms to signal the crowd that he was about to begin.

  “My people. You are here now, when your families have been forced to flee. We are here to fight a new foe, one we could never have expected. They hide in their underground caves, like frightened hares waiting for the Spring. They hate us because they fear our strength. Yes, they have toyed with us, spread lies and sought to break us. But we are united!” His foot stamped for emphasis. An eagle cawed high above us but no one even glanced up. “Side by side we stand. And together we can show these creatures that we are no fools.”

  The crowd applauded and shook their knives and spears in agreement.

  “How was that, boy,” Dubh whispered.

  “Not bad,” I croaked, my mouth dry. I watched as the men and women standing before us began to chatter and laugh, the spell broken.

  The Chieftain pulled me away from the crowd, back to a tent where Lisanne and Scyre waited.

  “It’s done,” I told Lisanne. “They’re as ready as they’ll ever be.”

  “Sorry you had to stay in here, but I thought it wise,” the Chieftain said to Lisanne.

  “Hard to tell people what devils my people are when I’m standing right next to you,” Lisanne said sharply. In a moment Dubh was upon her, claws around her neck. I snarled but made myself stay still. If I got in the middle of this he might just kill her.

  “Now, here’s my problem, girl,” he growled, his eyes wild. “I like you, I do. You came to warn us and I appreciate that. But when the moment comes, the blood on the snow, where are you going to be? What side are you on?”

  Lisanne met his eyes. “You can trust me.”

  Her voice w
as strong and after a moment Dubh released her.

  “So you’ll take a spear and stab it straight in the heart of your closest friends, your family, if that’s what it takes?”

  Lisanne shook her head. “I don’t know.”

  “Well you better decide pretty damn quick.”

  There came the sound of an argument from outside and two Diggers entered, a male and a female. The young female dragged the male roughly behind her even though he was older than her.

  “I found him trying to flee the city with the others. Almost like he had a guilty conscience.”

  She pushed the other man forward until he stumbled to his knees in front of Dubh.

  “Cousin, you have something to tell us?”

  “No, she’s lying!”

  Dubh sucked his teeth. “Now, now, there’s no need for hysterics. I know that the creatures from underground manipulated you, like they did a great many fools.”

  The man looked terrified. Dubh was being too friendly: having just seen his hands around Lisanne’s neck I would have been terrified too.

  “Machan sent me to the North East mines last year. You know what they’re like! We barely scraped enough ore to keep us in deer meat. So we’ve been doing some other business. Cutting out the middle man.”

  I hissed and Dubh’s expression darkened. This Digger must be pretty terrified to admit to black market trading to the Chieftain himself.

  “The strangers came to us, when we were seeing some traders in the South. At first I wanted to run as far as I could, they truly are repulsive.” The man didn’t seem to hear the snort that came from Lisanne. “But then I started to listen. They gave us tools, great metal things for cutting into the rock. We would have had the finest mine on the White.”

  “And what did they want in return?”

  “They said the Seekers were being too curious for their own good. Well, we all know what Seekers are like. The creatures told us that the Seekers were planning a coup, planning to take the mines for themselves. Said it would be in our best interests to give them a little scare. It was just a small charge in the rock. I didn’t think it could blow up the whole Peak!”